concede
Americanverb (used with object)
-
concedes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
conceded,
past participle, past
-
conceding
present participle
-
to acknowledge as true, just, or proper; admit.
He finally conceded that she was right.
- Synonyms:
- grant
- Antonyms:
- deny
-
to acknowledge (an opponent's victory, score, etc.) before it is officially established.
to concede an election before all the votes are counted.
-
to grant as a right or privilege; yield.
to concede a longer vacation for all employees.
- Antonyms:
- refuse
verb (used without object)
-
concedes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
conceded,
past participle, past
-
conceding
present participle
verb
-
(when tr, may take a clause as object) to admit or acknowledge (something) as true or correct
-
to yield or allow (something, such as a right)
-
(tr) to admit as certain in outcome
to concede an election
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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concedernoun
-
preconcedeverb (used with object)
-
concessibleadjective
-
unconcedingadjective
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concededlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
concedesimple
-
concedessimple
-
have concededperfect
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has concededperfect
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am concedingprogressive
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are concedingprogressive
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is concedingprogressive
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have been concedingperfect progressive
-
has been concedingperfect progressive
Past
-
concededsimple
-
had concededperfect
-
was concedingprogressive
-
were concedingprogressive
-
had been concedingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of concede
First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin concēdere, equivalent to con- con- + cēdere “to withdraw, yield”; see cede
Explanation
If you concede something, you admit that it is true, proper, or certain — usually in an unwilling way and often in the context of a competition, as in "At midnight, the candidate finally conceded defeat." In its most common senses, a near synonym of concede is acknowledge — if your mom is pointing out that you need sleep before the test, you should concede the truth of what she's saying. But another meaning of concede is to give away or grant something, as when an unpopular leader is unwilling to concede power. Concede is from Latin concēdere, from the prefix com-, "completely," plus cēdere, "to go along, grant, yield." The corresponding noun is concession.
Vocabulary lists containing concede
List 1
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 1–6
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Touching Spirit Bear
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
After the match restarted, Millwall went on to concede a 90th-minute goal to lose 1-0.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
The Romanian filmmaker’s stoic drama is designed to provoke viewers in opposite directions, snaring them in waiting traps and causing them to concede in agony, “You have a point!”
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
By July it was 88%, and officials concede a gasoline shortfall of nearly 4 million gallons a day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
They concede that the operating environment in France is tough and that dividends will likely be lower in 2027, but point to several positives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
He had to concede that if asked, he would have most definitely said no.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
Pressed — surely she’s pretended to be sick to get out of a party? — she concedes she has, explaining that she thought he meant the criminal case against her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
It concedes that higher oil consumption “increases all domestic consumers’ exposure to the risks of potential rapid increases in oil prices.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
It is an impressive undertaking to circumnavigate the globe, even if, as the book’s subtitle concedes, Ms. Brauer’s challenge is “Sailing Solo but Not Alone.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
He also knows the basic reality if a side concedes twice every time they play, they will not win many Premier League games.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
Gorgias concedes, “No: the definition seems to me very fair, Socrates; for persuasion is the chief end of rhetoric.”
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
While he conceded the AI investment boom would drive prices up in the short term, he felt there was a "huge benefit" to the global economy on the horizon.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Brewers manager Pat Murphy conceded the point — sort of.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
The Gunners conceded the fewest goals in the league but have already conceded five in six games.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
Alonso's side are 10th in the table after five matches, having conceded 12 goals.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
“It’s good of them to warn us,” Shoba conceded after reading the notice aloud, more for her own benefit than Shukumar’s.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
This makes a low-possession approach harder to sell long term, even if the players might look better conceding possession.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
It was a defensive masterclass and they delivered Bompastor's gameplan perfectly, capping off victory with a third successive clean sheet - a run of 315 minutes without conceding a goal.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
Yet it is the lack of goals Liverpool are conceding that really deserves highlighting.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
The German had won all five of their previous matchups, on three different surfaces, while conceding just one set.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
Now here was Gottlieb, conceding a potentially catastrophic error.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
